judge console · E.D. Pa.
E.D. Pa. · Judge Perez · Practice Guide

Hon. Mia Roberts Perez

All local rules for E.D. Pa., integrated with this judge's published requirements.

Before You File
Contacting chambers
👤 Judge Perez — standing order

Judge Perez permits communications with Chambers by telephone or email regarding scheduling and other non-substantive matters. All other issues must be addressed by motion or other filing. Under no circumstances may any party or counsel communicate ex parte with any Chambers personnel concerning substantive matters. Inquiries should be directed to Judge Perez's Courtroom Deputy. If the Deputy is not available, then Judge Perez permits counsel to speak with her Judicial Assistant. If necessary, attorneys may speak to Judge Perez's law clerks regarding scheduling matters; however, law clerks may not render advice to counsel.

Drafting the Motion
Length limits — motion, opposition, reply
🏛 E.D. Pa. local rule
Motion

Silent on page limits for civil motions. The local rules set no district-wide page limit for motions or supporting briefs. Each judge's individual practices govern; consult the assigned judge's chambers procedures. E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1 ↗

Opposition

Silent on page limits for opposition briefs. The local rules set no district-wide page limit. Each judge's individual practices govern. E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1 ↗

Reply

Silent on page limits for reply briefs. The local rules set no district-wide page limit. Each judge's individual practices govern. E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1 ↗

👤 Judge Perez — standing order
Motion

Any motion and its supporting memorandum of law, as well as opposition briefs, shall not total more than 20 pages. In those rare instances in which counsel believes additional pages are necessary, counsel should seek leave to exceed the page limit by motion.

Opposition

Any motion and its supporting memorandum of law, as well as opposition briefs, shall not total more than 20 pages.

Reply

Reply briefs in support of a dispositive motion may be submitted without leave of Court. Replies must be responsive to arguments raised by opposing counsel and shall not exceed 7 pages. A sur-reply may only be filed with permission of the Court upon good cause shown and may not exceed 5 pages. Replies and sur-replies must be filed no later than 7 days after the filing to which it responds, but Judge Perez reserves the right to rule on the motion in the interim.

Filing & Scheduling
Briefing schedule & hearing date
🏛 E.D. Pa. local rule
Notice period

Response to motion due within 14 days of service E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1(c) ↗

Hearing days

Calendar control and other matters affecting the conduct of court business shall be governed by written policy statements on file in the Clerk's Office, which may be adopted or modified by the court in the implementation of the local rules (but not in derogation thereof), and also in the implementation of operating agreements that may be in effect between this court and certain other courts concerning conflicting engagements of counsel, recognition of busy-slips, and the like. E.D. Pa. L.R. 40.3 ↗

Proposed orders
🏛 E.D. Pa. local rule

Proposed order required with every motion E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1(a) ↗

The Hearing
Oral argument
🏛 E.D. Pa. local rule

Oral argument at court's discretion; no automatic right E.D. Pa. L.R. 7.1(f) ↗

👤 Judge Perez — standing order
Default practice

In civil cases, all motions should be filed in compliance with the Scheduling Order. Oral argument will be scheduled as needed by the Courtroom Deputy.

Continuances & calendar conflicts
👤 Judge Perez — standing order

Counsel shall comply with all deadlines set forth in the scheduling order. Counsel for cases in the trial pool must be prepared to commence trial upon 48-hours' notice. Any requests to extend a trial date must be submitted to Chambers in writing 30-days prior to trial.

Discovery
Discovery referral procedure
🏛 E.D. Pa. local rule

Discovery disputes referred to assigned magistrate judge E.D. Pa. L.R. 72.1 ↗

Know Before You Go
👤 Judge Perez — deviations that burn people
  • 1. Motion + brief combo cannot exceed 20 pages (opposition same limit) -- there is no separate opposition limit, so a 25-page opposition violates the rule.
  • 2. Rule 12 motions require a meet-and-confer at least 7 days before filing; no certification = motion denied.
  • 3. Summary judgment SUMF process is entirely pre-filing: moving party serves SUMF 28 days before deadline, response served 14 days before deadline -- nothing filed on the docket until the consolidated statement is filed with the motion.
  • 4. Trial pool cases must be ready to start on 48-hours notice; requests to extend trial must be in writing to Chambers 30 days in advance.
  • 5. Third-party litigation funding must be disclosed (beyond Rule 7.1) -- an easy trap for funded plaintiffs who overlook this additional requirement.
content assembled from published local rules & standing orders · click any section in the rail for the full treatment
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